Donald Trump Is Handing House Democrats a Loaded Gun

Soon after “The Big Lobotomy” came out, the Hewlett Foundation used it as a key source document in launching the Madison Initiative, a $50 million annual grant-making effort to encourage congressional and electoral reform. The Washington Monthly became one of the Madison Initiative’s first grantees and a hub for writers, scholars, and activists, both liberal and conservative, who have made the case that Congress should increase its budget for staff to boost its ability to deliberate and provide oversight. Two of our regular contributors, Lee Drutman of New America and Kevin Kosar of the R Street Institute, formed a group to hold briefings on the Hill directly making this case to members and staffers on both sides of the aisle, as did the group Demand Progress run by the pioneering researcher-activist, Daniel Schuman. They found champions, including Republicans like Senator Mike Lee and Representative Kevin Yoder who, together with Democrats such as Representative Tim Ryan, got the funding increase for House and Senate staff—including for paid internships—into an appropriations bill Donald Trump signed in September.